The Tale of The First Phoenix

"Krylim, it's time for you to go to bed!"
"But dad isn't home yet!" The young boy refuses to get off the couch. "I want to wait until he's here."
"Oh sweety, I know," and his mum sits beside him stroking his hair. "But it's getting late and you need to rest."
He folds his arms over one another, pushes out his lower jaw while sucking up his upper lip.
"Tell you what, let's make a deal," the mother says. "Go to the bathroom and make yourself ready for bed. I'll let you stay up when you're finished until the clock reaches the top, how does that sound?"
Krylim storms towards the bathroom as fast as his little legs can carry him. While he is washing his face, he hears the all too familiar click of the doorhandle and the screeching of the hinge. Dad is home.

"DAD!" With his face and hands still wet, the young boy rushes out of the bathroom into the arms of his father.
"Hello boy, using me as a towel again?" The large man snickers.
"He didn't want to go to bed until you were home," mum giggles right behind her husband.
"Oh, is that so, young lad?" He picks up his son who laughs histerically as being flown around the living room. "Well then, let's fly off to bed, shall we?" With another round through the livingroom, the father carries his son to his bedroom and tucks him in bed.
"Dad, can you tell me a bedtime story?" Krylim asks as he grabs his favourite snuggle bear. "I like the Tale of The First Phoenix story you always tell."
"All right, but just one story."

Long ago, there was a lone traveller wandered the plains of Bani Reshumba. The Spikes of Narbu slowly rose in the distance with each passing day. He looked around the savanna, but there was no other person in sight. His supplies had also run low. He needed to find a source for water as soon as possible.
As the night was setting in, the traveller had no option but to set up camp and resume their mission for water the next day. A fire was not needed; it was plenty warm outside and he did not have any food with him that he had to cook. Exhausted, he dug a hole for his tent pole, stuck it in, and draped a large sheet of canvas over it pinning it down with six large nails. With his last stretch of energy, the weary traveller crawled in his bed to enter the world of dreams.
Later that night, a dragon flew over the long stretches of land. They were the keepers of the world maintaining the lands to keep us all safe. As the dragon soared through the sky, it spotted the little tent of the traveller, but it mistook his sleeping space for rubble. It blew a large fireball at the tent, setting it aflame.
The giant touched down near the crater to inspect its work, only to find the remains of the sleeping traveller. Upon seeing its mistake, a tear fell down the dragon's cheek and landed on the body soaking it completely. Minutes later, gray feathers formed a coat around the body and the bed turned into wings. The dragon made a gentle and colourful flame. It had all the colours of the rainbow and everything in between. The gray feathers absorb the engulving vivid flames, taking over their vibrant display of nature.
"I am sorry, my friend, for accidentally setting you aflame," the dragon says with a deep and hushed down voice to the newly formed bird. "Please, accept this gift as an atonement for my mistake. You can roam the skies of the entire world in your new form. You shall live eternally in a cycle of life and reincarnation, never again accidentally dying, for you are now The First Phoenix. Now breathe and go forth!"
The dragon blew life into the still bird. The First Phoenix rose and looked the dragon in the eye before flying off into the distance.
For many years, the First Phoenix travelled all around the world helping the dragons in their mission to maintain the world. In particular, he looked out for the innocent people caught in unfortunate scenarios. He helped people who were caught in an unwanted war, children who couldn't cross a river because the bridge got destroyed, animals who were fleeing from a forest fire, and countless actions more.
The First Phoenix lived a long and fruitful life. When he was of old age, he flew back to his first resting place as a weary traveller wandering the plains of Bani Reshumba in search of water. He touched down next to where his tent should have been. Moments later, the same dragon who gave him life all those years ago landed beside him.
"I see you have done well these years, my friend," the dragon says. "You have helped a great deal of people with your actions."
"It was all thanks to you," the First Phoenix responded. "If you had not given me another means to live, it would have ended here just as it is about to end now."
"You have worked hard, indeed. Have a long rest, tomorrow is a new day."
As the last rays of sunshine hid away behind the horizons, the First Phoenix set aflame. A pile of ashes smouldered until the morning came. From the center, the head of a chick appeared, excited to learn what this new day may bring.

The father looks at Krylim who has fallen asleep already. In the corner of his eye, he notices a gentle flame and looks up. "Thank you for watching him, Oku," he whispers softly before leaving the room. A set of beady eyes stares back responding with a slow blink of approval. The flames on its feathers dimm in brightness to let the boy sleep as Oku the Phoenix watches over Krylim during the night.